What happened?Whereas the LinkedIn groups remain an important piece of social networking strategy, the activities that support them are on the wane. Since October 14, 2015, when LinkedIn initiated a massive overhaul of its group interface, I have noted a significant drop-off in group activity, both within my own groups and in those of many of my LinkedIn connections. Insightful contributions to group discussions, which are traditionally recorded on the home page, are few and far between. The interest is simply not there. A large piece of this avoidance behavior can be attributed to the demands imposed on users by LinkedIn itself. The site has become increasingly complex, forcing many to relearn basic practices and continually integrate new site features and functions. As the size of user's networks increase, there is increasingly more information to process, and the groups can easily slip through the cracks of conscious awareness.Gauging the Trajectory of LinkedIn Group PopularityThe growth of LinkedIn groups--in numbers and in scope--has been nothing short of phenomenal. As this post goes to press, there are in excess of 2 million groups. As an early adopter of LinkedIn, I still view the groups as viable channels through which one can increase connectivity, demonstrate thought leadership, and conduct valuable market research. However, it is difficult to achieve those objectives without the feedback of others.Throughout the years, I have spent considerable time exploring the LinkedIn groups. I have rotated in and out of dozens of them, even managed a few. My inclination to initiate and participate in group discussions has always been strong. The liveliest exchanges, some of which went on for months, often gave fresh impetus to my blogging and brought scores of insightful professionals into my network. Yet today, as I scroll down the group discussion boards, I notice little if any play on the postings. There seems to be a pervasive notion that, despite the best efforts by group owners and managers, the forum has devolved into a bottomless pit of shameless self-promotion. Nowadays, the majority of submissions that make it to the discussion boards consist of nothing more than a URL to that person's blog post, latest media mention, lead capture page, or webinar registration site. People got turned off and left.[To gauge the downward spiral of group activity, I casually surveyed the 65 LinkedIn groups to which I belong. I have retained membership in most of these groups for years. The preponderance of posts was self-directed; seldom did I come across an actual question that was intended to spark a discussion. Few if any submissions garnered at least one "like" from other group members; almost none elicited more than one "like" or a comment.]The Progressive Withdrawal from LinkedIn Groups